Traditional rivalries like Ruston and Ouachita, plus common district opponents like Bastrop, make Neville’s football schedules somewhat predictable from season to season.

That same district structure is throwing the Tigers a curveball for the second week in a row, as Neville hosts new district opponent Tioga on Friday after beating the other new team in the district, Grant, last week.

Early in the week, Neville head coach Mickey McCarty said he was still scouting Tioga’s personnel, but found an overarching theme for the Indians on both sides of the ball.

“They're a multiple offense: they've been in spread, they've been in the flexbone. It looks like a little more spread tendency the last couple of weeks, but we'll prepare for a variety of what we may see,” McCarty said. “We've seen quote a few different looks, so I don't know if it's anything that's brand new to us, but we have to be prepared for everything.

“Defensively, they're also multiple: three-man front, four-man front, man, zone. We just have to prepare for a multitude of things.”

Tioga’s challenge is amplified by the Neville’s in-house challenge. The Tigers enter the week at the top of the power points rankings in 4A with games against the No. 30 (Tioga), No. 33 (West Ouachita) and No. 47 (Franklin Parish) teams in the power points rankings left on the schedule. The so-called outside influences assuming one-sided wins in all three of those games is something McCarty and his staff are taking into account.

“As coaches, part of coaching is the psychological part of the game trying to keep those teenage brains in the right state of mind,” McCarty said. “The talk around on social media or in the classroom amongst friends and so forth, even family, there are some games that, on paper, look like you should be the winner before it's even played. That's not the case. Upsets happen each and every week in sports. It's something that's mentioned.

“Whenever you pump the brakes and start coasting, that's when other teams start catching up with you. We know that other teams are certainly improving every day just like we need to.”